The Dirty Second Hands
by AMessofADreamerx
Summary: Matt's been suspicious of the reappearance of his childhood friend, Rose, the moment he realized the erratic heartbeat he heard a mile away was hers, but not trusting her is something Matt's finding hard to do, and it doesn't take long for him to slip up. Rose shouldn't be trusted, and betraying Matt is something she's finding hard to do, but her brother's life is at stake.
1. Rosie B & MMMDog

Rosie B & MMMDog

Rose Bryant knew exactly what she was about to do, but she was going to have to act like she didn't for the time being. Muttering to herself, cellphone in hand, she walked at a brisk down a street in Hell's Kitchen. Rose dramatically stopped at a sign with a name that caught her eye- Nelson & Murdock. She took a deep breath. She could do this.

She paused, squinting at the name and her eyes widened in recognition. Checking the time on her phone, Rose pulled open the door and more humid air hit her.

Rose was only going through all the motions for herself. There wasn't much they told her about what she needed to do. 'They' being the two men that attacked her from behind, 'they' being the one who pulled a black bag over and from her head, after tying her to a chair, and 'they' being the one who threatened to tear her baby brother's life apart (because truthfully, she'd already done a great deal to mess up her life on her own, Rose had to protect Bentley at all costs). But they did tell her Matt wasn't the same boy she knew and they needed proof of it. They needed proof he was more than a blind lawyer… what 'more' he could be, she had no idea.

After knocking on a window door, a timid women with a sweet smile greeted her.

"I'm sorry, miss, but we're not opened for another half an hour," She said this with what felt like genuine regret.

"Oh, I'm not- I'm not a client. I just… passed the Nelson & Murdock sign and couldn't help but wonder if the Murdock was the same one I grew up with," Rose explained quickly, her heart pounding wildly. _This isn't going to work_.

"Oh! Uh, may I ask your name?"

"Rose Bryant," she answered and she heard a small chuckle from behind the door.

"Karen, I got this," a quiet voice said, and Karen backed away with a strained smile. The door opened to reveal a completely unrecognizable Matt Murdock.

Rose felt terribly guilty, but she was slightly relieved he couldn't see how her jaw dropped to the floor when the door revealed him. He wasn't the scrawny, short kid with unkempt hair. No, he grew a good two feet and by the look of his perfectly tailored suit, had developed a good amount of muscle over the years. She wanted to see his melty dark eyes, but they hid behind red tinted glasses.

However Karen noticed, her eyes squinting ever so slightly.

"Rosie B," Matt greeted with a private smile, though Rose answered with a big grin.

"MMMDog!" Rose replied with a giggle as Matt directed her in with his cane. Her breath caught slightly at the sight of it and she swallowed. They had told her about his accident. How could such a horrible thing happen to such a good person?

"I feel like I got the short end of the rapper name stick. Rosie B actually has a good ring to it," He commented, though Rose was momentary lost in thought.

After a long pause, Matt said in a wry tone, "We have a lot to catch up on," and slightly lifted the cane.

It took a moment for Rose to realize she had gone silent.

"No, sorry. I-" She let out a slight, nervous laugh, "I heard about the accident, but it took me off guard nonetheless. Awkwardness over."

"Unless you're a not the same Rose I knew, you can't promise me you won't be awkward, and not break it," Matt replied with a devilish grin.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, and slapped him on the arm with a roll of her eyes. However a hint of a smile curved her lips.

"You just _slapped_ a blind guy!?" He exclaimed in mock disbelief, before his face melted back into a pleasant smile.

"Shut up, Matt," Rose laughed, before closing the distance between them and pulling him into a hug. It took a moment, but he wrapped his free arm around her back.

As she pulled away, she said, "You haven't changed much."

"Now being blind doesn't fall under the category of 'much'?"

Rose made an exasperated noise and turned to Karen, who returned to stand stiffly by her desk. "And you willingly choose to work for him?"

"He saved my life. I kinda owe him," Karen answered, with a shrug. A tight smile formed on her face.

Rose looked back at Matt, who had averted his gaze to the ground. "I repeat: you haven't changed much."

"Nah, she's just obsessed with me. We couldn't get her to leave, so we put her to work." A man appeared at the entrance of an open door to Rose's right.

"I think it was more so you harassed me for so long to take the job, that I feared for my life if I didn't," Karen replied with a roll of her eyes. She picked up a pile of papers on her desk and straightened them before sitting back down.

"Now that we've established the kind of working relationship we have at Nelson and Murdock, I'd like to introduce you to my best friend, Foggy Nelson," Matt finally cut in with a slight chiding tone, like he was breaking up a fight between two three year olds.

"Matty! You replaced me!" Rose accused, dramatically clenching over her heart in mock distress, causing Foggy to grin evilly.

"And, Foggy, this is my rapper friend, Rosie B. She's been working on her rap album for the past 20 years, released it last month, and it totally flopped. Now she's returned to Hell's Kitchen to flip burgers at the McDonalds down the street," Matt concluded the introductions in a deadpan voice. After she realized what he had said, Rose let out an indignant cry.

"Excuse me, my rap album 'Angel From Hell' was a hit. But after I went Diamond, I realized the Hollywood life wasn't for me and now I've got a 9-5 job working as a reporter for the New York Bulletin..." Rose slightly winced at her admission. Clearly, it wasn't what she had been planning to with her life right now. "Speaking of that, I hadn't planned on this detour and I now won't get my third cup of coffee before work."

"That sounds like it might be a good thing, Rose," Matt replied with a raised eyebrow.

 _Not when you have weird stress dreams_ , she thought to herself, and Matt cocked his head at her, like she had said something he couldn't quite understand.

"Did I say that out loud?" Rose asked, suddenly feel very self-aware and remembering she wasn't there to really catch up with Matt. She was there to spy on him. She glanced at Karen and Foggy, to find them sharing a look.

"Say what?" Matt replied slowly, before returning from his thoughts. "Maybe you do really need that third cup of coffee..."

"The thing- the thing I was thinking about..." Rose trailed off, now eying Matt with a confused look.

"Well, I just made a fresh pot! You're welcome to it." Karen gestured toward the cabinetted area they had.

"Maybe another time? Because it was great to meet you all. Maybe we can get drinks sometime? Currently Matt's the only soul I know in the city."

"Yeah, definitely, I would like to know how Matt got such a _beautiful_ self-proclaimed best friend as a child," Foggy said, shooting Matt a look, that he couldn't see, but definitely could hear. "Though obviously, we have no competition, right? Because if so, you're going down, man- er, wo-man."

"Well, I obviously haven't been around to be a best friend, so you win. For now," Rose added with a grin, before unlocking her phone. "All right, hand over the numbers."

Five minutes and two hugs later, Rose made her way to the Bulletin. Because she wasn't lying about that. It was part of her cover, and soon… soon something was going to happen to Matt and she was going to have to interview him. She was in the dark as to what, just that it wouldn't kill him.

It didn't give Rose much comfort. The only thing that kept her going was Bentley was safe for another day.

* * *

Matt Murdock wasn't going to lie. He ended up being happy that was Rose Bryant was back. She _was_ his childhood best friend. They _had_ spent countless hours together the year she was his neighbor and school-mate. They _did_ give each other rap names. He _did_ save her life.

But he could hear her erratic heartbeat, nervous pulse, and uneven breath from a mile away. Rose was hiding something.

* * *

 **AN:** Idk y'all, instead of writing my other fanfictions I began writing this, so I'm just gonna go with it (not to say I'm not updating The Angel of Hell's Kitchen or Wallflower anymore, because I definitely still am). I don't know much more than it's set somewhere in season one, maybe towards the middle. I'll get a more definite time soon, as I'm currently rewatching s1, and as I plan out the story more. I hope you'll be along for the ride! Let me know what you think. - Anna :)

PS. The title of this story is totally Dirty Second Hands from Switchfoot. I was trying to figure out a name for it and I was listening to various things, thinking of how I wanted this to go, la-di-da, and I thought of this song. And when I heard 'the blind leading the lied to' I was just like, "yup, yup that's it" and it totally goes with where I wanted this story to go. Definitely go give it a listen if you want a little insight of what I have planned! (and also 'cause Switchfoot is literally the best band ever...)


	2. Ghost of You

Ghost of You

Matt Murdock could hear his friends discussing Rose in his office. Obviously not because they were speaking too loud, no, in fact they were leaned over Karen's desk gossiping in hushed tones like two school girls, and thanks to Matt's heightened hearing, he got to easedrop the whole exchange.

"Did you see how Matt just stood there lost in thought after she left? What does that _even_ mean?" Karen asked, a smile in her voice, though her heart pounded in her chest and her breath hitched ever so slightly. Matt was certain sometimes that even to the unheightened person, her crush was a little obvious, but he would never hold her jealously against her.

"I know, he wouldn't even tell me how MMMDog came about," Foggy pouted, causing Matt to roll his eyes, but he smiled when the memory of a 7 year old Rose and an 8 year old Matt, lying on their stomachs in his living room, giggled over creating the names for each other, with his dad's match playing on the radio in the background.

Matt remembered always trying to make her laugh before she left his home for the evening, for with their paper thin walls, he knew a lot of laughter didn't go on at her house.

However it wasn't a complicated answer. His initials were Matthew Michael Murdock and it didn't take much child-like imagination to come up with MMMDog.

"Has he ever mentioned her to you?" Karen began cautiously, "Like, have you met anyone who knew Matt before the accident?"

Foggy, for once, was quiet for a moment. "I haven't heard much of Matt's life before well, college, really, but he told me once about a girl he knew who's mother was murdered. The husband did it, but somehow he got off scotch free. And that was what planted the first seeds of being a lawyer in his mind," he finally answered.

Karen's voice hitched for a different reason this time. "And you think she's the girl?"

His friend let out a loud breath of air, probably throwing up his arms in a 'who knows?' gesture.

"It's a bit daunting. Meeting someone who knew Matt before the accident… meeting someone Matt has seen with his own eyes, who is very, very pretty," Karen admitted very softly.

"Karen…" Foggy began with her name, though obviously didn't know how to finish. "Matt doesn't care about that sort of stuff." Now his voice hitched ever so slightly and his heart pounded in his chest. Even if Matt wasn't nursing his own crush on his nurse friend, that little hitch forbade anything to happen between him and Karen.

"But maybe he did then."

"He was like nine when he knew her. Sounds like they sat around making rap names for each other! I couldn't think of anything less sexy. I didn't even care much about looks back then. Okay, that's a lie, I thought my 5th grade teacher was really pretty..." Foggy trailed off in a thoughtful voice, before adding, "But that's so not the point. At all."

Karen took a deep breath and replied, "It doesn't really matter. It's just a bit weird, y'know? To know he's never seen our faces but he has this woman's. Anyways, I bet you have some lawyering stuff to do. We have been open for," she paused, and Matt heard her watch slide against her wrist, into her view, "Four minutes and we should prepare for the massive hoards of people that will no doubt show up at any moment."

Matt pulled out of their conversation then, feeling slightly guilty he listened to any of it. He had wanted to hear their impressions of Rose, but apparently his own reactions caught their eye than anything she did.

He sighed and turned back to what he had returned to his office to do… to see what he could find of Rose on the internet. Matt plugged in his earbuds and typed 'Rose Bryant' into the search engine.

' _Searching for Rose Bryant,'_ an electronic woman's voice informed him. The same voice read him link names and descriptions.

Finally, about eight links down, the women told him a 'singer/songwriter Rose Bryant has worked for Turtle Island Records for five years, providing back up vocals, guitar, piano, and songwriting'.

"Never thought I'd see the day Matt Murdock stalking a girl on the internet," a muffled voice startled Matt, coming unexpectedly from his right. An earbud to fall out of his ear and Matt had to resist the urge locate Foggy's arm and flip onto the table. "Have you tried her Facebook yet?"

"Foggy! Haven't you heard of knocking?" Matt asked, slightly annoyed and a little embarrassed he'd been caught searching Rose's name. He ripped the other earbud from his ear and took a deep breath, trying to calm his adrenaline rush.

"Yeah, and I did. I even called your name multiple times and announced my presence upon deciding to open the door and entering. You were way into what that little electronic voice was saying about Rose that you lost track of your surroundings," Foggy accused him, before pulling out his phone. "Seriously though, you find all the good stuff on Facebook. But you wouldn't know that because you're stuck in the middle ages and refuse to get one."

"Yeah, you find _too much_ stuff through Facebook. People have no filters-" Matt began his spiel on the dangers of Facebook, but Foggy cut him off.

"Which is why, thanks to you, nobody can search me, and people can only add me by me adding them first."

Sighing again, Matt pulled out his earbuds before using the speak to type function.

"Rose Bryant, facebook," he told the computer and waited, knowing Foggy wasn't going leave him alone anytime soon now that he knew what Matt was up to, and it would go a lot easier with his eyes and not just an electronic voice.

"Already got it, buddy," Foggy said, lifting up his phone. "Her profile picture is with a guy, younger… with the same eyes and nose and blonde hair."

"Bentley," Matt put in, remembering the tiny baby he held in his arms the one fateful night when Rose practically threw the baby at him and crumpled to his feet in a fit of tears.

"Yeah, Bentley Bryant. He has a Facebook too, but anyways, back to Rose." Foggy went silent for a moment, his fingers tapping against his phone screen. "She's like you, I guess. Her Facebook is mostly private. Just says 'singer/songwriter at Turtle Island Records,'" he finished in a disappointed voice.

"That's all right, I just wanted to see what she had been up to..."

"Rather than meeting her for drinks after work like we promised and asking her like we use to do before social media took over the world?" Foggy asked, rhetorically. His phone suddenly dinged. "Yeah, that's overrated. She just added me back."

"Foggy!" Matt cried in an exasperated voice.

"Sorry?" Foggy said like a question, because he so obviously wasn't. "It's not like you were going to tell us anything about her."

"Have you asked me anything about her?" Matt replied pointedly, "Or did you just assume?"

Foggy made a noise. "Well… you wouldn't have of."

"I have nothing to hide with her," Matt answered. _She's the one hiding something_.

"Oh…" Foggy paused a second, before calling out the door, "Karen, get in here!"

* * *

"Hey, Bent," Rose answered her phone on the third ring. She dreaded the conversation she was about to have with her brother and slightly relieved she was only five minutes away from the Bulletin.

Though a lot of damage could be done in five minutes.

"Ro, please tell me you didn't quit your job at T.I.," Her brother began immediately.

Rose didn't reply.

"And returned to freaking Hell's Kitchen."

More silence on Rose's end.

"If this is true, at least tell me how big of an idiot you are and that you have a good reason," Bentley finished with a loud sigh.

"I got a new job, Bent! It's no big deal," Rose finally said, while thinking ' _Yeah, you. You needing to be alive in this world is a pretty dang good reason._ '

"But you loved your job at Turtle Island," Bentley accused and Rose couldn't deny it. Her brother would see right through it.

"It wasn't paying the bills, Bentley," She replied, using his full name in hope it would stop the questions.

"But… why Hell's Kitchen? That's where- that's where Mom was murdered, isn't it?" He asked, his voice suddenly muffled.

Rose swallowed before she answered, "Yeah, Bent, but it's just a place. We can't avoid it forever."

Truthfully, Rose had the same thought as her brother when she found she was returning here. _Anywhere but there_ , she begged with her captors. But Matt never left and Rose wasn't all that surprised.

"Listen, I just arrived at work. I'll call you later. Go study or something. I love you, B," She said and held her breath, like he could possibly reply with anything but 'I love you' back.

Bentley was quiet for a moment before saying, "Love you too, Ro."

* * *

Rose's first day at work was quite overwhelming. 'They' told her it was just like songwriting and to make it work… but it wasn't just like songwriting and she couldn't help think the rest of the staff thought of her as incompetent idiot.

"You gotta get with it, kid, or get out. This isn't a tumblr blog found on the internet. This is the real deal," Someone told her at one point, which prompted a quick Google search of 'how to be a reporter' that her day go a little bit better.

At some point, she passed an office with a door left slightly ajar and started when she found she recognized the man sitting behind the desk. She abruptly stopped in place, staring in shock at the dark skin man that sat through the crack. He suddenly looked up, feeling her eyes on him.

"Can I help you?" Ben Urich asked, but she quickly fluttered away, unable to speak a word to him, and to her relief, he didn't follow her.

She returned to her desk and began writing a piece about a new playground being built in the city, though based on internet sources, and was shamed by her new editor, Ellison, for not hitting the pavement, and stealing someone else's research. Which was not what she had intended at all, but his shaming worked.

When Rose left work for the day, the highlight of her shift had been when Foggy Nelson added her on Facebook. Nobody was particularly glad of her appearance. Nobody spoke to her unless it was to tell her she was doing something wrong. Though she did successfully avoid Urich and she didn't get fired for her apparent lack of skills, so that is what she hung onto for tomorrow.

Now back in her apartment, she sat in sweatpants and a loose t-shirt on her couch, wanting to just check out for the day, but found her mind was a constant whirlwind of thought. Running from 'must keep Bentley safe at all costs' to 'Matty didn't deserve this' to 'Foggy's everything she will never be' to 'she will have to physically go to the dang playground tomorrow to write that article'.

Eventually all Rose could do was jam her earbuds in her ears and turn up her music as loud as it would go, trying to focus on the songs of hope her favorite band, Switchfoot, tried to lend her. But it just didn't feel real anymore. Who will she be if (when, because she will have to find something) she finds something on Matt and betrays him? Bentley, none the wiser to his life being threaten, will be the same, but Rose will forever be changed.

At some point, Rose had to get up and rummage her fridge for food, though that wasn't too hard considering two boxes of leftover Chinese takeout was really the only thing in her fridge. She thought about her old fridge in her old apartment- Tennessee was her home. Not here. Back then, though 'back then' was only 3 weeks ago, her fridge was stocked to the brim and she was never alone at dinner. There were photos of Bentley and their friends all over her walls and books overflowing her bookshelves. Now she had an empty apartment .Tucked away in her closet were her boxes of picture frames but it just seemed out of place in a place that was not her home. So Rose let her walls bare nothing and her tables were free of pictures of loved ones.

But she was lonely. She missed her brother. She missed her friends. Heck, she even missed her dick of an ex-boyfriend. Rose was about twenty hours from everyone she loved.

And then a thought formed in her mind, a thought that wasn't unceasing till she untangled herself off the couch, threw on a sweatshirt, and pulled on her shoes. Rose slid her phone and keys in the oversize pocket of her sweatshirt and headed out the door.

* * *

Daredevil stood on the roof of Rose Bryant's apartment building. He heard the massive sigh of relief that escaped her when she dropped her keys on the counter of her kitchen. He heard the groan of the couch when she plopped down after changing out of her work clothes. The pounding of her heart as she stressed over something internally and soon Switchfoot began playing like they were in the roof with him with a loud speaker.

She was definitely stressed about something and he wasn't so sure he was going to learn about what it was by just listening in.

Matt was given a chance to ask some questions when suddenly Rose jumped up from the couch, causing the old thing to creak, and bolted out the door. He quickly left his perch and silently followed her from the rooftops and dark alleyways.

At some point he realized exactly where they were going and a feeling of dread hit his stomach. The way Rose's heart rate continued to grow, she was feeling the same thing, but she was on a mission. Had she been back since her mother was murdered?

They weren't going to be as Rose remembered. The townhouses were abandoned ten some years ago and now mostly homeless people and prostitutes would be found roaming through these streets.

Rose's steps began to slow as she realized this, but she kept going till she arrived at her house, with Matt's house just one over. She abruptly stopped then, taking in a long, jagged breath.

Matt didn't think she'd been there since the last time he saw her, with tears streaming down her face, and a baby Bentley crying loudly in her arms. They were the last ones in the house and Rose and Bentley's father honked from outside. Bill Bryant was skipping town, despite the fact he _hadn't_ been charged with the murder of Lillian Bryant, his wife.

Daredevil didn't follow Rose in quite yet when she finally entered the house, though he knew he eventually would. It was a perfect place for… questioning.

* * *

Rose was scared. She wondered if maybe, if… she was still there. Her mother. If Rose could feel her mother in the house she was murdered. _Ghosts aren't real_ , Rose chided herself, but something brought her here nonetheless.

As she entered her old home, the hairs on the back of Rose's neck rose. She found she had a hard time breathing as each step felt like somebody had taped weights to her feet, and suddenly she was in.

Her hand reached for the light, but it didn't surprise her when they didn't turn on when she flicked the switch. The moonlight streamed through the cracked wood that boarded up the windows and she pulled out her phone, switching on the flashlight feature.

It was only just now occurring to Rose that someone might have taken up residence here, but it was too late for such thoughts now. She wasn't turning back.

Rose directed the light throughout the room. The wooden floors were mostly gray with dust, though there was lighter gray footsteps trailing across the foyer. However, the prints were covered in a thin layer of dust, so she doubted anyone was there now.

The house felt like it was being held up by the loud silence that covered every itch of the place. Rose felt like if she even breathed too loud, she'd shatter the silence and the house would come crumbling down.

Her soft soled shoes didn't make a sound against the floor as she continued on. She flinched so loud when she tripped over a piece of plywood, before filling with relief when the home stayed intact.

Broken pieces of wood and glass covered the floor. Unfamiliar wallpaper was cracked and ripped, falling off the walls and ready to be pulled off.

Rose wasn't entirely sure where she wanted to go, till she stopped in the hallway that led into the living room. The hallway where she found her mother's body.

She froze, facing the wall, remembering the blood that pooled the wooden floors and the blood covered the wall like paint.

Suddenly, Rose didn't feel like she was alone. She took a breath and decided to go against logic and indulge in her hopes above all hopes.

"Mommy?" Her whisper cut in the darkness. "Mommy, I-" Her words disappeared when she noticed a peeling strip of wallpaper. She pulled a strip down and covered her mouth with her hand when a very faded red mark began to appear. "I'm so sorry." Tears streamed down her face, catching on her hand.

A floorboard creaked from behind her and she jumped, spinning around. Her flashlight from her phone spun around too fast and she couldn't register anything she'd just seen.

Rose brought her phone up just in time to see a man in black lunge at her, pushing her against the wall. She let out a startled scream as he pinned her in.

"I don't want to hurt you, but _I will_ ," The man emphasized the words and towered even closer to her then, "if you don't answer my questions."

Rose's wide eyes betrayed how terrified she was and the weight of him on her caused her to struggle to breath.

"And it doesn't matter if you scream. You saw the area when you came in. There is no one around," he finished his threats.

She didn't speak, searching the black abyss of mask for… she didn't even know what.

The man loosened his grip ever so slightly as he began questioning her. "Who do you work for?"

Rose swallowed loudly and tried to answer with, "The New York B-B-Bull-"

"Wrong," He cut her off immediately, in a venomous voice, "I _know_ when you're lying. Try again."

"I-I-I..." Bentley's face flashed acrossed her mind as she tried to answer. What Rose did next surprised the man in black and her both. Instead of finishing her sentence, she headbutted him in the face.

A soft grunt escaped him and he took a step back, enough for Rose to make a break for it. But second her forehead collided with him, intense pain exploded across her face and stars erupted her vision. She ran blindly, blinking hard to try to regain her vision. And then she realized she dropped her phone somewhere and it was literally pitch black.

But it wasn't long till Rose was on the floor. She didn't know whether because of her own two feet or from the man who was attacking her, for he was on top of her in an instant. He flipped her to her back and pinned her arms and legs against the floor with his own.

It took a moment for a gasp of pain to escape her, as something sharp had lodged in her shoulder when she fell. The pressure of him on her arms didn't relieve that pain one bit.

"Tell me now," He hissed in her face, and she finally finished her sentence from earlier. "Who do you work for?"

"I-I-I can't. I can't, please. Ple-please..."

"Bentley Bryant, that's your brother, right?" There was a taunt in his voice and as soon as her brother's name was out his lips, she began thrashing around.

"That's not part of the deal!" The words escaped her mouth before she could even think about them. "If you hurt him, I will _kill_ you."

"What. Deal."

Rose let out a frustrated scream. "I. Can't. Say."

Suddenly, the man loosened the grip on her. "Are they threatening him? Are they threatening your brother?"

"I… can't, please," the anger she had in her voice, in her body just a moment ago left her.

His fight seemed to have left him too and he mumbled, "I'm so sorry, Rose."

In an instant, he released her, and she laid alone, a bloody and bruised mess, in the middle of the hall of her old childhood home.

It took a while for Rose to push herself off the floor, wincing in pain all the way. She quickly searched the floor for her phone and once she retrieved it, she stumbled back to apartment as quickly as possible.

Rose stood in her bathroom, gearing to get in the shower to wash off all the blood that was drying on her skin, but a nail was jammed in her shoulder. A cry escaped her as she realized she'd have to pull it out herself, that she could tell nobody what happened.

* * *

The next seven hours of Rose's life were worse than any torture 'they' had over put her through, or the man in black did to her just eight hours before.

After she pulled out the nail, she found it impossible to take a shower due to the more blood that followed. Rose succumbed to sitting on her couch in a board-straight position and using a once white towel to put pressure on it.

In the morning, even the slightest movement caused it to bleed, and truthfully, all the baidaids she had had Frozen or Scooby Doo characters on them. Rose didn't have the slightest idea how she would get through the day, but the day had to get started.

So, she layered up. Despite the 80-some degree weather, she wore a black blouse and a scarf to cover up the bruises that now adorned her neck. She hoped if the blood bled through the bandaids again, it wouldn't be noticeable in a dark shirt.

Tears dripped down her face all morning, any hope she had was non existent but she couldn't give up for Bentley. It was slightly one of the reasons that made her give up covering the deep bruise that was forming on her face from headbutting the man. However what ultimately made her give up was the fact it refused to be covered.

She couldn't even say, 'You should see the other guy.'

Rose had never felt more miserable in her life.

After covering up as much as she could, she slowly left her apartment building for the walk to the Bulletin. It seemed impossible that just yesterday she was seeing Matt for the very first time in about 16 years. If Rose was to see him, at least he wouldn't say anything about her appearance.

And Rose was to see him. And was terribly, terribly wrong about her assumption he wouldn't notice she'd gotten the crap beaten out of her.

He was on way to work as she was and called her name from behind.

The voice words out of his mouth were, "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Rose asked in a tired voice. She couldn't even comprehend that he could possibly know in that moment.

"I'm blind, not stupid," Matt chided her and she sighed, just wanting to get to work.

She didn't feel like anyone cared enough about her there to ask her what happened.

"I just tripped, banged up my shoulder pretty bad," Rose tried to answer, but he wouldn't take it.

"You're still bleeding."

"I landed on nail."

"You've been crying." His tone was gentle, but Rose was losing all patience.

"How do you even _know_ that?" she snapped, an edge of irritation crept in her voice.

Matt didn't answer her question, but asked another one of his own, "Why didn't you go to the hospital?"

"You first," she shot back, but he didn't answer.

The fact that both of them were hiding something was loud in that moment.

"I might have had help in the tripping..." Rose finally said, and she realized her pain was uncontrollably coming out in her voice.

He didn't anymore about it, but gave up something about himself instead. "After the accident, I woke up, and I couldn't see anymore, but yet… I could see better than I did in my entire life."

Rose's shoulder throbbed and all she wanted to do was collapse to the ground and sleep (or cry) for a week, but she replied, "What do you mean?"

"When you have a disability like this, sometimes other things rise up to take it's place," he answered, but Rose didn't say anything more.

"C'mon, my apartment is only down the block," Matt said, placing a gentle hand on the shoulder that didn't previously have a nail in it.

"I have to get to work," Rose mumbled out, and Matt let out a hard laugh.

"You don't think the first place they'll make you go is a hospital, which you seem to be to venomously against? I don't know what you look like, but you smell like the walking dead."

"Thanks, Matt. I appreciate that," Rose deadpanned, before sighing, "Take me away."

* * *

Matt felt like if Rose wasn't in so much pain, she probably would have noticed the guilt written on every itch of his body. He had no idea she wouldn't be able to bandage herself up probably, though in hindsight, it was probably something he should have realized.

He could feel the heat of infection radiating off her shoulder and the taste of blood on his tongue. Not to mention the water down salty smell of tears dried on her face.

Daredevil should have never visited Rose. Ever. But terror filled him at the thought she was hiding something, something that obviously pertained to him as her heartbeat ratted her out as they spoke.

Matt said once he enjoyed it, hurting people, and the pain he felt radiating off of her, that he inflicted on her, put him in check. If it wasn't a friend of his he hurt last night, he wouldn't be feeling the same way this morning, but the fact it was made him realize he was losing himself to the Devil. He couldn't do that.

He made Rose sit on his coffee table and she pulled off her layers, till she sat there in just her bra and jeans. Matt had already pulled out his trusted first aid kit and pulled out the things he needed.

"I don't understand how you can do this," Rose said as he cleaned off the wound with alcohol and a towel. "Did you mean earlier, that some senses were heightened because of your blindness?" Her voice was as loud as she could muster, which wasn't above much more than a whisper.

Matt knew he shouldn't answer the question honestly, but guilt caused his head to ache. He couldn't talk this way through this right now and this was when she was asking these questions. And not talking about it was starting to build up in him.

"Try all the other senses. Smell, taste, hearing, touch..." He admitted in a voice not much louder than hers. Matt was quiet a moment, and so was she, before he finally told her, "It's going to need stitches. I can do that, but really, Rose, I'm not sure how you thought could patch this up with cheap bandaids."

"They weren't cheap. I paid extra for the Scooby Doo and Frozen ones..." Rose muttered, though absentmindedly, but then her breath caught, "How can you do _stitches_?"

"I did them on my dad all time. That's why… you weren't allowed to be there when he came home from a match," Matt answered, then hesitated before continuing with, "The h-heighten senses help a lot, too. I can feel the infection forming on this wound."

Rose suddenly stiffened under his hands, her heart palpitating into over time. "I don't want to know anymore."

Matt couldn't help but to be hurt at her harsh tone. His hands fell away from her back. "Do I freak you out?" His heart ached slightly, he just seemed like a mess of bad decisions lately. He should have never told her about this, especially since somebody was threatening her brother and she couldn't tell anybody. But he just wanted to tell _somebody_ … and he realized that hurting her last night was all in vain for what Matt told her today.

"No, no, Matty..." Rose sighed softly, "If I wasn't in so much pain, so get _back at it_ buddy, I'd hug you right now. Do I even want to why you have supplies for stitches in your first aid?"

This whole situation felt slightly dangerous. Both of them were avoiding questions and he was positive both of them knew it.

"The only person I've ever told what it's really like is Foggy, but he doesn't even know I can do this, and I'd like for it to stay that way," Matt finally said, and though his fingers began to stitch up her back, he couldn't breath as he listened for her response.

"I don't think I could ever do that..." Rose whispered and he felt her breath catch under his fingers. Her heartbeat had been elevated since before Matt called out her name earlier in the morning. He was sure that was due to the pain she was in.

Matt wouldn't let himself feel relief, but he was pretty sure she believed, at least in this moment, she'd never tell anybody.

* * *

Matt stitched her up (seriously, she could barely believe it) and gave her some meds to help with infection. She stopped questioning him about why he had certain things. Before she left, she sprayed some body spray she had in her purse, causing Matt to nearly gag in response.

Rose forget herself and laughed at his face. "Is this not better than 'walking dead'?"

"I will be smelling this for weeks," Matt grumbled, causing her to pull him in a tight hug as a way of thanks before letting herself out.

However Rose was now almost two hours late to work. She left a quick message for Ellison, deciding to tell him she got mugged, and decided to just head out to the playground to finish her stupid article about the creation of it, and luckily for her, it was the grand opening. So way more people were there than she intended. If she got back to the office and quickly wrote about it, maybe she could go home early…

As Rose geared up to interview some parents and kids, she just watched the festivities going on. There was a balloon stand and face painting. Screams of laughter filled the air and she found herself jealous of the innocence of all the people in this park.

She didn't even know what she was anymore, just that she wasn't innocent. And neither was Matt. They were both ghosts of the person they once were.

And then her phone vibrated in her pocket, alerting her of a text.

 _Third bench to your right. Time to debrief._

Another text was sent while she was reading the previous one.

 _You better have something._

One more text appeared, turning Rose's blood cold.

 _If you don't hold up, our end with Bentley doesn't either._

Rose looked up and to the third bench on the right. A women in a black pencil skirt and a white blouse sat alone with her legs tightly crossed. Her heels were so pointy Rose was certain they could be used as a weapon.

Rose was not so certain she could keep her promise to Matt.

* * *

All right, guys! I come with a second chapter and a more developed story! While it's based in mid season one, after researching the story of Daredevil (I haven't unfortunately read any of the comics- where do I even start!?), I'm going to say I'm adding an extra supervillian to the mix. Hope that pikes your interest… any guesses? ;) Tell me what you thought of this chapter pretty pretty please! xx Anna :)


	3. Cold Blood

Cold Blood

The next ten minutes of Rose Bryant's life were ones she wished she could forever take back. It didn't take long at all for Rose's title as Matt's friend change to Matt's betrayer.

It was like they had known she was having second guesses. It was like they had known Matt had been kind to her that morning. Had literally stitched her freaking shoulder up.

It was like they heard Rose promise she wouldn't tell anybody Matt had heightened senses.

For the first thing the women in the black pencil skirt said when Rose slid in next to her was, "Hold one second. I've got to show you something." She proceeded to unlock the phone she held tightly in her hand and scroll around for a moment, before shoving the phone in Rose's face.

"My name is Mary," she said as Rose's eyes widened in horror at the images on Mary's phone.

"See? Your brother is safe," Mary continued, and Rose peeled her eyes away from the phone and looked up at her. Her look of horror morphed into anger. "For now."

Mary had brought up a picture of Bentley, sitting in class. His hand was pulling back a chunk of his curly, blonde hair as he rested his hand on his palm. His eyes were heavy-lidded, droopy slightly, making it looked like he was squinting at his teacher. Other classmates sat around him, with varying stages of interest.

"One of our friends is making sure of that," she added as Rose swallowed, knowing she mustn't lose her temper in a situation like this, and didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at Mary's dark red hair, that was up in a severe bun and slightly looked like it was pulling her face off.

Rose tried to keep her face blank, but her heart throbbed in her chest. She could barely form thoughts in her head. Her mind just filled with names and faces and she hated herself, but with them so close to Bentley, _in his freaking school_ , she didn't have much of a choice.

She hoped whatever they thought Matt was, it was something that could take care of himself.

"Everything going as planned?" Mary asked, raising a thin eyebrow. Rose childishly wished all her hair would snap from the tight bun that it was in.

"Yes, I talked to Ma- Murdock yesterday morning," Rose answered, her voice breathy.

"And?"

"And… so far so good," Rose shrugged, not knowing what else to say about yesterday, and dreading what she had to say about today.

"Any contact with Murdock today?"

Rose swallowed so loud she was certain Mary heard it.

"Yes." Her mouth was dry, as if her body was trying to prevent her from betraying Matt.

Mary waited, but when she didn't say anything, her eyes squinted at Rose. "That photo I showed you of your brother, was from right before you showed up. And the person that took it, isn't above taking out all the kids in that classroom as an incentive and leaving him the last one standing, before killing him _slowly_ and very, _very_ painfully."

Rose clenched her jaw at the threat. Through a tight mouth, she said, "He said he had heightened senses. He can smell, taste, feel, hearing. He could smell blood from... an accident last night, and could tell I'd been crying, but that's normal for blind people. To get heightened senses." She tried to downplay what she spilled to Mary, but Rose had a feeling that this was something they were looking for.

"If Murdock told you it's normal to smell people's blood and tears, he was lying," Mary replied with a smug look on her face. "I'll contact you for the next debrief in two days. I don't have to keep threatening your brother do make sure you have more information by then, right?"

Rose just shook her head, not saying anything. Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she absolutely refused to cry in front of this women.

Mary rose and began walking away, before pausing and turning around, "Oh. Your big journalism break? It's coming tonight. Make sure you're the one to interview him tomorrow."

And with that, Rose was left sitting alone.

* * *

"Hey, Matt?" Foggy's head peered through Matt's slightly opened office door.

"Yeah, Fog?" He asked, absentmindedly, putting down the braille he was reading for a case.

"I think we should get drinks with Rose tonight," His friend answered, stepping fully in the door.

"I don't think she'll be up to it, buddy," Matt replied, slowly, debating on how much he should tell of Rose's condition. Finally, he sighed, "She was mugged last night. A bit bruised up, but she'll be okay."

"What, no way!" Foggy said, his eyes slightly wide. "Where was this? Did whoever did this get caught?"

Matt hesitated before speaking again. "No, he ran away too fast, bud. Thankfully Rose forgot her purse back at the Bulletin, so nothing was actually stolen. She just got a bit banged up."

Foggy shook his through Matt's explanation… through Matt's lies. He inwardly cringed, he was literally the worst at lying on the spot, but it looked like Foggy bought it.

"Man, poor Rose. I'll see if she wants..." Foggy began, but left the room as he spoke, before eventually trailing off. Matt could her his thumbs typing a new text to Rose, causing his heart to clench. He should not have been so open with Rose getting his friend's personal contacts.

But Matt did know she would not be spending the evening alone. He had every intention of visiting her tonight… however as Matt Murdock and not Daredevil.

* * *

To Foggy's disappointment, she declined all food offers from him, playing it off as 'not wanting to scare him off' and 'they hadn't reached the point in their relationship to see each other like this'. Sarcasm and jokes. Even at 7 years old, she was rather skilled at it.

Matt's already seen her, so he didn't think she'd be that pissed if he showed up at her door with Chinese food, something he hoped was still her favorite. He knew she ate it for dinner last night, but if her love for Chinese is the same from when they were kids, Rose wouldn't mind another night of it.

Karen told him herself and Foggy were still going out for drinks, but Matt passed for the night, claiming tiredness, though he wouldn't sleep for another 8 hours? 10? He really didn't know.

The sun was setting by the time Matt made his way to her apartment, two bags of food in his hand that wasn't holding the cane. He was only a block away when he heard a scream. He froze, trying to hone in on the sound. It wasn't more than an alleyway away.

Another scream, ending in a women's voice, begging, "please, please, don't! S-stop..."

Matt put the Chinese food down and began running toward noises, now hearing her struggling against her captors. He rounded the corner and heard her heels scrap against the pavement as she was dragged deeper into the alleyway. He followed quietly and rounded another corner, his hand tightening around his stick, but nothing happened. The women stopped screaming, though Matt still heard the steady heartbeats of five.

And suddenly they attacked, forcing Matt to defend himself, or being beaten to a pulp.

He didn't know if they were aware of his blindness, so they didn't give it their all, or if they hadn't been told a thing, and were just majorly confident in their abilities, but it didn't take long for a pile of unconscious bodies to form and then there was just one who clung to keeping his eyes open. Matt ceased the chance to do a bit of hardcore Daredeviling.

"Who sent you?" Matt hissed dangerously in this man's face, pinning him against the wall, but a bloodied grin covered his face- Matt could smell strongly the release of his rotting teeth. "Where's the woman?"

"I seen your face now, buddy. You're going to kill me, so there ain't no need to open my mouth," The man replied, his words slightly slurring together.

Matt's lips pursed in annoyance. "Yeah, but _buddy_ , I can make this a quick death, or a very slow one." The hand that wasn't pushed against his neck, found his hand, and with no hesitation, snapped a finger back.

A long grunt escaped the man, but he pulled his lips together tight in defiance. A couple minutes, and many broken bones later, Matt finally stopped. The man still hadn't spoke, but he had began to scream, and he was certain he thought Matt was going to kill him.

He was going to prove this guy wrong.

"You know, I kinda have this thing about killing people," Matt began, "And I know I hit these guys here a little bit too hard. They're not going to wake up with their brains intake. I'm thinking I do the same to you. Trapped in a shell of a body with no escape? What kind of existence is that?"

Finally, though long pain-filled, the man's eyes widened in terror, as he glanced down at his friends lumps on the ground.

"Okay, I don't- I really don't know much about 'em. A women, a women with red hair approached us. A psycho women. Held out a bag for us give a look in and there was hundred of thousands of dollars. Red said it was ours if we gave someone a beating and y'know, hey, we's good at a beating, so we agreed. All right, okay, I told you now..." The man's stuttering died away at the look on Matt's face.

"I'm really sorry about this," Matt said, rather honestly, and bashed his head against the wall. A clump of blood and hair remained there, but Matt could hear still a faint heartbeat in him.

He walked away then, returning to the place he dropped the bags of Chinese, to find it gone.

* * *

Rose knew the men were going to attack Matt. She didn't know when or how they knew he was coming that night, but she knew about the attack. He was suppose to get a little banged up and she was suppose to meet up with him tomorrow and write an article about it, to get deep and personal, and Bentley was suppose to be safe for another day.

But Matt walked away without a scratch.

Before he went, she saw how his head jerked towards the woman's scream. He stood there and a moment of concentration passed over his face, before Matt placed the food bags down, and bolted down the alleyway. He quickly disappeared into the shadows, though not before confidently maneuvering around obstacles in his way.

And then not long passed before Matt was reappearing from the shadows. He stood there, straightening his suit. His head cocked and a deep look of concentration passed over his face again.

Rose hadn't truly believed she'd find anything suspicious about Matt, but now she's not so sure. Heightened senses was one thing, but coming from a fight without a scratch is another.

However he must've realized Rose wasn't worth the visit, for after the mega showdown, he went the opposite direction down her block, and sent her a text ten minutes later.

 _How are you doing?_

She swallowed and quickly thumbed a reply: _better thanks_.

 _Shoulder still bleeding?_ was Matt's next message.

 _A bit, but I'll be fine_ , Rose replied. She didn't wait for a response before she shot out, _I'm beat, Matty, thanks for checking in. I'll talk to you tomorrow?_

But she didn't wait for his reply before sliding the phone in her pocket and leaving her apartment. Rose might have to answer when asked, but she was going to do her best to not be asked.

Since Matt returned from the fight unscathed, her mind had been working in over time, and the thoughts of what Rose should do next made her realize the things she got into as a kid wasn't just a way to provide for Bentley one day. She liked the excitement, the thrill, the power when she had always been unable to have it… and what she decided to do next made her slightly sick to her stomach and was more than anything she'd done in the past. While Bentley came first, she knew she had to do all she could to keep Matt safe as well. Even though by the sound of it, he didn't need any help protecting himself.

But if there was any evidence of a fight, if there was anyone left breathing, it had to be erased. If it got out to them that Matt did this… that they made contact with him and they turned out like this… they would know. Whatever they _wanted_ to know, they _would_ know it then.

Though if Matt was as dangerous as he's being perceived to be, there shouldn't be nothing more than an alley full of dead bodies and all she had to do was bury them somewhere.

All. She. Had. To. Do?

Rose waited long enough for Matt to be out of sight before she scampered down the alleyway. Where they lured him was a dead end… filled with lifeless bodies. However upon closer inspection, she found their hearts were still fighting for another day.

She was starting to realize that she was way over her head here, but Rose didn't know what else to do than what she was about to do. Her stomach began to burn as she patted down and stuck her hands into pockets, searching for something help with her vow to protect Matt.

Did this make her just as bad as her father?She thought this as she flipped a body to his back, his temple covered in gravel and blood. Finding nothing to help her, she went to the next man. On the third body, she found what she was looking for.

The gun was cold in her shaky hands, but she tightened her grip, and took a deep breath. It'd been a while since Rose held a gun. She stood over the line of bodies and pulled up to take aim. It was almost like riding a bike, though instead of a shoulder or leg, she aimed for the forehead.

All that was ironically running through her mind was 'ohGodohGodohGod' when she pulled the trigger.

And again.

And again.

And again.

* * *

It took a couple hours of driving for Rose to conclude that this didn't make her as bad as her father… yet. The night was still young and considering the place she was driving to, there was still time, but the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced of this thought. Her father hurt her and her mom, eventually killing her, not out of protection for someone he loved. She never understood what made Bill the way he was. When Rose was younger, she was more interested in protecting her brother and getting away from the abuse that fell on her without her mother protecting _her_. Now that Bentley was safe from him, she was curious. What had she done to warrant her fathers hatred?

Not that she did much better without her father in the picture. When Rose's father finally went to prison, she was just old enough to take custody of Bentley. However, she was in no place to raise a twelve year old boy. Rose had her hands _distributing_ things in places they didn't belong, trying to secure a future with her brother without their father, and with him gone, she found she didn't know how to get out of the places she'd gone. Eventually she escaped, but she was sure she hadn't left behind a shoe or shirt or something, though they weren't looking to return it to her. Nah, probably more so burn it in front of her face, before turning to Bentley, and then conclude with her.

And the only reason behind her escape was a person and this person still lived in New Jersey, still continued the work Rose fought desperately hard to get out of, and was still willing to help her out. However, this time with a price.

Samuel Carter wasn't your typical drug dealer, and wasn't called Sammy _Boy_ for nothing. Not even in his thirties, he shot the line to king by dozens, and had been working at it since before Rose carried drugs in her schoolbag. But whatever reason, Rose had hit a soft spot with him. Maybe because with his mess of blonde hair and baby face, he reminded her of Bentley, and somehow Rose found herself mothering him the same way she did her brother, despite the anger and rage Sam showed the world. However, 'mother' wasn't the sentiment he felt toward Rose, and was probably the only thing that helped kept her on his good side.

They'd been in contact over the years, often promising Rose jobs that 'wouldn't be too involved' but there was no pressure each time she turned him down. Possibly because Sam knew Rose couldn't stay out of trouble and would need him one day. Even though her disgust for drugs was evident, there was always a rush in a successful deliver, or being a breath away from escaping death or prison, and Sam was often there to witness it and matched her wide eyed grin with a smirk of his own.

Rose supposed he was right. The most adrenaline she got as a songwriter was the rush of a song finished, and while Bent was safe and she was safe, it wasn't the same by a long shot. There was no danger, no suspense, and Sam Carter was probably the only one alive who knew this secret of hers.

* * *

Sammy had cropped his hair and grown a foot since the last time Rose saw him and it wasn't a bad look. It actually made his nickname sound a bit silly.

He greeted her as soon as she pulled into winding driveway of a mansion. The front of the house was lit, but the dark night surrounded the yard. In just a couple hours she could have had a better glimpse at the life Sam built for himself.

He had originally put his hand out for a shake, but pulled it back when Rose brought up her bloodied hands.

"Well… I'm assuming that's not yours," Sam's smirk was not only on his face but in his voice too, "However I'm having a hard time believing you're little Rose Bryant from the good ol' days." He took a step closer to her, invading her personal space, and his bright blue eyes peered up into her green ones. Whatever he saw there, he approved of. "There it is. I see it now, Ro."

"Yeah, it's definitely me. Still here with 'protect the bro at all costs' mindset," Rose replied with a role of her eyes. She tried to play this whole situation off for Sam, but her heart pounded in her chest and she could hear a nervous edge to her voice. If he asked questions, if he offered her more help… Rose could be back in this life before she knew it.

"Sounds like this mindset has got you into a bit of trouble," He replied, pointedly eying her hands.

She held them up with a half smile on her face. "When has it not gotten me in trouble? It's the only reason I met you."

Sam chuckled. "True, but it looks like it's finally made you one of us now."

Rose bristled at those words. Narrowing her eyes, she said, "It'll make me _one of you_ when I kill people for money."

"Your brother is equivalent to our money. It's the same thing, in different context. And let's not forget that while you never _killed_ anyone before-"

She glared at him for a second. "You know what, never-"

"You need a body dump and I can do that for you. What you think of this and what I think of this doesn't truly matter, Rosie. You know you have nowhere else to go," Sam cut her off, but didn't break eye contact.

"I guess..." She took a breath, trying to calm herself, but she spoke again through clenched teeth, "I guess the question now is what can I do for you?"

"I want to take over Hell's Kitchen," Sam announced, and Rose's face went steely.

"I'm not seeing how I will be of use for you achieving this goal," She replied, her voice dangerously low. Rose fought so hard to get out… she thought back to all the times he'd come to her. He knew one day she'd need him. He knew it and it was never her decision to stay out of it. Sam had just been biding his time.

His silence caused panic to seize her and she began stuttering, "I'm not… I'm not coming back. I fought so hard to-"

"If I do remember correctly, I'm the one who covered for you to escape. I don't recall any fighting," He said, in an upbeat tone. He knew the moment she called and said she stole a car and had four bodies to hide, Rose couldn't turn down any offer.

"Sam, please." The note of begging in her voice caused her to fill with self-disgust, but she continued on anyway, "I swore to Bentley I'd never do this again. He'd hate me if he ever found out I was doing this..."

"Do you want this to go away or not, Rose?" Sam asked, with a slight edge of annoyance.

It took a moment for Rose to reply. Not because she was reconsidering, but because she was terrified. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was mostly scared for herself.

What she never told Bentley is that she almost lost herself the last time.

"I guess protecting me isn't in your best interest now," She said bitterly, remembering the last words that were exchanged between them. His face was impassive and he just shrugged. Finally Rose said, "Just… just promise my brother will be safe."

"Sorry, Rosie, but it's not part of the deal. I have nothing against the kid, but with running a major business, I have bigger priorities than to babysit your brother. Just be available to help me when I contact you, and all of this," His arms waved to the back of the stolen car, "Disappears."

* * *

Rose left Sammy Boy's massive home about twenty minutes later. In new sweatpants and a lose fitting t-shirt and a not stolen, though on loan, vehicle.

On the drive back, she thought how much her world had changed since she saw Matt on her street from her window just last night. Now she knows that despite her friend being blind, he can whip people's butts and live them on the brink of death. And she was back in the business and she had to push down the slight excitement that came from that new development.

But this time, Rose told herself, it was going to be different. This time, she knew what she was getting into, and she wasn't going to get caught up in the game.

Finally, at almost 3am, Rose pulled into the parking garage below her apartment and found the spot with her number on it. She never thought she'd have a car to fill it.

It's amazing how much can happen in one night.

* * *

AN: All right, I'll be the first to mention the extent of my knowledge of drugs is the movie 'Blow' with Johnny Depp in it and then a google search of 'drug cartel' when I realized I might want to incorporate this into my story. And also, I know I promised this chapter about a week ago, but my friend told me how amazing of a show Gossip Girl was, and I didn't necessarily believe her... I thought I'd watch an episode to get her off my back and I got addicted. So instead of writing this week, I've completed four seasons. Yeah, I totally judged the show by its title and I'm deeply ashamed.

Anyways, let me know what you think so far! I know there was a lot of Rose, but next chapter is going to involve the whole gang and the drinks Foggy so desperately wants! And Bentley might come to town and I may whump Matt up a bit for a change. So, you know, stay tuned… :) – Anna xx


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